Arsenal v Sunderland Betting Tip & Odds: Very interesting game, if only from the point of view that we will get to see the title credentials of Arsenal again. They have come through some tricky tests of late, showing their battling qualities and good resilience. They need another one here, but when you weigh up all the factors here, a draw really jumps to the fore of your betting decisions. This is all about how well Arsenal will balance their squad rotation and stand up to the pressure of playing catch up again to United, with one eye on the Champions League. Sounds like distraction enough really to warrant a Sunderland +1.25 Asian Handicap for 7/8 at Bet365. That covers your bet by paying out a half win if Sunderland lose by one goal. A draw or a win for them would pay out fully.
Arsenal to win: 5/11 at Bwin
Draw: 18/5 at Victor Chandler
Sunderland to win: 15/2 at Boylesports
EPL Match Preview: A big weekend in the Premier League for Arsenal, and good potential for Sunderland stealing a point here. Arsenal will have one eye on the return leg against Barcelona, while you wonder how much longer Sunderland’s poor run of form is going to continue. There is much at stake here for the Gunners, who simply have to keep winning from now until the end of the season, if they are going to get their hands on the Premier League title. They will be starting as favourites naturally here, simply because the Gunners are strong at home, and have the quality in their squad to destroy most teams. However, with injuries and the Champions League distractions, Arsene Wenger has some big decisions over what personnel to put out for this one. He doesn’t want any more injuries, but fielding a weaker side and Arsenal could shoot themselves in the foot. Arsenal are the better team obviously, but there are some interesting connotations to this match. The Gunners have strength in depth up front, but Sunderland have proven to be stubborn opponents for the most part this season, and the players there have a lot to prove to manager Steve Bruce. The two sides played out a 1-1 draw at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, so there is draw history there between them.
Arsenal Form: Well, the Gunner’s didn’t take too long to bounce back from their Carling Cup final horror show against Birmingham, although a 5-0 win over League One side Leyton Orient in the FA Cup wasn’t too tough a test for the Gunners. This match against Sunderland comes at a tricky time for Arsene Wenger, as the return leg of the Champions League fixture against Barcelona is on Tuesday, and Wenger has injury problems already. That blip in the Carling Cup aside, Arsenal are in very strong form, and haven’t lost in the league in ten matches now. They have had one of the busiest fixture lists around of late, but they are scrapping their way through it all. The Gunners will be thankful for the run of home matches they have had, which has fully kept them on the heels of Manchester United. Arsenal, sitting in second and four points back of the leaders, have won their last four home matches straight. More impressively, they have only conceded one goal in that run. The margins of victory on the scoreboard may not have been great, such as the 1-0 win over Stoke City for example, but they are winning, and at this stage of the season, that is all that matters. They have suffered a bitter blow with Robin van Persie and Theo Walcott missing through injury, but at least back up strikers Marouane Chamakh and Nicklas Bendtner got on the score sheet in the week. Arsenal should still be fine up front, and they have the patience and quality to unlock teams, even defensive ones like Sunderland. The Gunners have lost one more at home this season than they have on the road, but those glitches look to be well behind them. The pressure is on now, as the big run in really builds up a head of steam now, and this is a match where the Gunners need to be clinical and won’t want any more injury worries. Wenger says that the Premier League is the main priority, so we will see, based on what kind of team he sends out. Form is good though, they have a solid defence at home at the moment, and haven’t lost in seven league matches at the Emirates. All in all, good shape for a win in this one, and those vital three points should be coming their way.
Sunderland Form: Sunderland have hit a very sticky patch of the season at the moment. Although the club have given manager Steve Bruce a new contract, the Black Cats have lost their last four straight league matches now. Fortunately they have done enough work in the season to ensure that they are still hanging around the top half of the table, but they aren’t good at the moment. Even the manager admits that they are not as good as they were a month ago. Has the departure of Darren Bent really started to take its toll on the club? Defeats against Chelsea, Stoke, Spurs and Everton have hit Sunderland hard. They really looked awful against Everton at Goodison last weekend, barely raising any kind of effort to take points off another club who are struggling for form. Sunderland’s season has been built on great defensive work, working hard for other and for being incredibly difficult to score against. With eleven goals conceded in their last four matches, the road back to form for Sunderland looks a steep one. It’s not as if wins on the road have flowed for them this season, winning just three and drawing five. So a trip to the Emirates against the high scoring Arsenal, is not coming at a welcome time for Steve Bruce. That’s two straight away losses now for Sunderland in the league, just when things were looking good for them. They are in danger of slipping backwards even more if they make it zero points out of the last fifteen available for them in the league. A point at the Emirates, which is probably what they will set out to achieve, will be something of a step back in the right direction for them. They are lacking a bit of confidence at the moment, and need to sort out the problems which have arisen at the back. A good performance, against Arsenal’s depleted side, could be worth looking at for a draw for your football betting though.
Head to Head: The two sides draw at the Stadium of Light earlier in the season, and actually three of the last five league meetings between them have produced a draw. Arsenal won this fixture 2-0 last season, and the Gunners do hold a strong home record over Sunderland. Arsenal have a 54% win percentage when Sunderland come to visit, with the Black Cats winning on just 23% of their visitors. On the goal front, The Gunners average almost double the amount of goals in this fixtures as Sunderland. Home win on the cards looking at that.
Online Bookmaker Promotion: Could be worth doing your Goalscorer betting at Stan James for this one. A big question about this Premier League match, is whether or not Sunderland will be able to hold out for a draw? The most plausible scoreline for them doing that would be a 0-0. So, when you have a punt on any goalscorer market at Stan James, if the match ends in a 0-0 draw, you will get your lost stake refunded as a free bet. This is great coverage on your football betting and should be considered, as Stan James are one of the most highly recommended online bookmakers available. The Bookie offer a free £25 bet when you open a new account with them.
Arsenal v Sunderland Premier League Betting Statistics
Last 5 Head to Head
Sunderland 1, Arsenal 1
Arsenal 2, Sunderland 0
Sunderland 1, Arsenal 0
Arsenal 0, Sunderland 0
Sunderland 1, Arsenal 1
Arsenal have an 71% win percentage at home in the league this season
Sunderland have a 21% win percentage away from home in the league this season
Arsenal are on a streak of 7 home games with no defeat, and a four game winning streak
Sunderland are on a streak of 2 away matches with no win
Arsenal have scored 30 goals, and conceded 12 at home
Sunderland have scored 15 and conceded 21 goals in their away matches
Arsenal average 2.1 goals per match at home this season
Sunderland average 1.1 goals per match away from home this season
Arsenal have scored the bulk of their goals in the 46-60 and 76-90 minute bracket
Sunderland have scored the majority of their goals in the 76-90 minute bracket
Arsenal have opened the scoring in 66% of their matches
Sunderland have scored first in 50% of their matches
Arsenal 2010/11 top scorer: Van Persie, 10
Sunderland 2010/11 top scorer: Gyan, 9
Arsenal 2010/11 Season Form: P27 W17 D5 L5 GF57 GA27 Pts 56 (2nd)
Sunderland 2010/11 Season Form: P28 W9 D10 L9 GF33 GA35 Pts 37 (8th)
